Content Engineering is a term applied to an engineering speciality dealing with the issues around the use of content

Content (media and publishing)

In media production and publishing, content is information and experiences that may provide value for an end-user/audience in specific contexts. Content may be delivered via any medium such as the internet, television, and audio CDs, as well as live events such as conferences and stage performances...

 in computer-facilitated environments. Content production, content management

Content management

Content management, or CM, is the set of processes and technologies that support the collection, managing, and publishing of information in any form or medium. In recent times this information is typically referred to as content or, to be precise, digital content...

, content modelling, content conversion, and content use and repurposing are all areas involving this speciality. It is not a speciality with wide industry recognition and is often performed on an ad hoc basis by members of software development or content production staff, but is beginning to be recognized as a necessary function in any complex content-centric project involving both content production as well as software system development.

Content engineering tends to bridge the gap between groups involved in the production of content (Publishing

Publishing

Publishing is the process of production and dissemination of literature or information—the activity of making information available to the general public...

 and Editorial staff

Editing

Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...

, Marketing

Marketing

Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...

, Sales

Sales

A sale is the act of selling a product or service in return for money or other compensation. It is an act of completion of a commercial activity....

, HR

Human resources

Human resources is a term used to describe the individuals who make up the workforce of an organization, although it is also applied in labor economics to, for example, business sectors or even whole nations...

) and more technologically-oriented departments (such as Software Development

Software development

Software development is the development of a software product...

, or IT

Information technology

Information technology is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications...

) that put this content to use in web or other software-based environments, and requires an understanding of the issues and processes of both sides.

Typically, Content Engineering involves extensive use of XML

XML

Extensible Markup Language is a set of rules for encoding documents in machine-readable form. It is defined in the XML 1.0 Specification produced by the W3C, and several other related specifications, all gratis open standards....

 technologies, XML being the most widespread language for representing structured content. Content Management Systems

Content management system

A content management system is a system providing a collection of procedures used to manage work flow in a collaborative environment. These procedures can be manual or computer-based...

are often a key technology used in this practice though frequently Content Engineering fills the gap where no formal CMS has been put into place.